When it’s two-for-one strawberries at the grocery store, it’s the time of the year for strawberry festivals in Florida.
The biggest in the state, the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, gets set to serve up thousands of pounds of the red fruit alongside 11 days of big-name concerts from March 2-12.
The festival features 24 headline concerts, a midway with more than 80 rides, games and attractions, free entertainment including eating contests, parades and more musical performers.
Strawberry-based cuisine is always on the menu as well.
There will be the signature item of the festival, the strawberry shortcake, but also chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry milkshakes, strawberry crepes, strawberry cobblers, strawberry parfaits, strawberry kettle corn, strawberry fritters, strawberry cream puffs, strawberry fudge and more.
There’s even a strawberry hamburger, a griddle-fried hamburger patty topped with crumbles of strawberry cookies between two pieces of French toast and topped with strawberries. Don’t like hamburger? How about a strawberry pizza, a dessert pizza with graham cracker crust, cream cheese. strawberry glaze sauce and sliced strawberries as “pepperoni.”
This year’s top concerts coming to the theme of “We’re Playing Your Song” include the Drifters and Platters on opening day along with For King and Country. Successive nights will feature names like Willie Nelson, 3 Doors Down, Little Big Town, Scotty McCreery, Elle King and Rascal Flatts on the final night.
Here’s the full music schedule:
March 2:
Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra (10:30 a.m., free)
Drifters, Platters and Cornell Gunter’s Coasters (3:30 p.m., $15-$25)
March 3
Willie Nelson and Family (3:30 p.m., $35)
Kip Moore (7:30 p.m., $40)
March 4
Kane Brown (3:30 p.m., $25)
3 Doors Down (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 5
Clare Bowen/Charles Esten (3:30 p.m., $25)
Little Big Town (7:30 p.m., $45)
March 6
Bellamy Brothers (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Jennifer Nettles (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 7
Brenda Lee (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Needtobreathe (7:30 p.m., $25-$30)
March 8
Tracy Byrd (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Scotty McCreery (7:30 p.m., $25-$30)
March 9
Cab Calloway Orchestra (10:30 a.m., free)
The Oak Ridge Boys (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
The Blues Brothers (7:30 p.m., $35)
March 10
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Elle King (7:30 p.m., $20)
March 11
Maddie and Tae (3:30 p.m., $25)
Patti LaBelle (7:30 p.m., $40)
March 12
Joe Nichols (3:30 p.m., $20)
Rascal Flatts (7:30 p.m., $50)
Florida Strawberry Festival
When: March 2-12
Where: 303 Lemon St. in Plant City.
Gate admission: $10 Adults (ages 13+), $5 children (ages 6-12), and free for children ages 5 and under. Select concerts and other special events may cost extra.
Website: www.flstrawberryfestival.com
